Below you'll find a series of resources we have assembled for current LSM students.
It is important in preparing students for careers in the life sciences and management that they have a sense of belonging to a common community. If this is to be accomplished, all members of the program, the students, as well as the staff and faculty, must work together to create a supportive, inclusive environment that welcomes all regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, socioeconomic status or whether they are differently abled. Since diversity, inclusion, and belonging are the program’s core values, all involved deserve and should expect to be treated with respect by other members of the community. Please remember Penn's Code of Student Conduct.
Penn Resources Supporting Diversity lists campus wide resources available for all Penn students, staff, and faculty.
School of Arts & Sciences DEI Office is working toward creating inclusive and equitable practices to provide access to academic research environments and the pursuit of knowledge.
Wharton Diversity and Inclusion Resources lists multiple campus resources available to all students.
Incident Reporting
If you think you have been harmed or for one reason or another feel uncomfortable or unsafe and would like to speak with someone confidentially or report an incident, click here for a list of the resources available.
If you have been involved in an incident of bias, either as a harmed party or as a witness, and you would like to make a report, you can do so using a Bias Incident Reporting Form.
Please note that you can always reach out to any the program’s faculty or staff who will help you navigate the system to connect you with the support that best meets your needs.
Penn’s cultural resources centers (CRC) support exploration and celebration of culture and identity—across the curriculum and in daily life. The centers provide a forum for anyone interested in testing ideas, asking tough questions, and initiating social and cultural change.
Greenfield Intercultural Center
The Center for Hispanic Excellence: La Casa Latina
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center
Makuu: The Black Cultural Center
Weingarten Learning Resources Center
The Weingarten Learning Resources Center have a number of learning resources as well as strategies for remote learning.
Learning Resources staff provide a wide range of programming and professional consultation services in university-relevant skills such as reading, writing, study strategies (including specifically for STEM courses), and time management.
The Tutoring Center offers a wide variety of free, accessible, and convenient options to supplement your academic experience.
Student Disabilities Services staff work closely with students who self-identify in order to ensure equal access to all University programs, activities and services.
The Marks Family Writing Center provides writing support to Penn students and faculty across the disciplines. They're open 6 days a week and are ready to help you with any aspect of the writing process, including analyzing your writing assignments, brainstorming topics, and helping you plan, write, or revise a research paper.
Penn First Plus Tips for Navigating Academics
Penn First Plus serves as the hub of university efforts to enhance the academic experiences of students who are the first in their families to pursue a four-year baccalaureate degree or come from modest financial circumstances.
Student Health and Counseling is the counseling center for the University of Pennsylvania. SHC offers free and confidential counseling services to all Penn undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Their goal is to assist students as they adjust to University life, manage personal and situational challenges, develop coping strategies, and grow personally and professionally. SHC’s hope is that students will develop self-awareness, resilience, and skills for life-long learning.
SHC also offers medical care, whether you have a rash, a cough or just a question about your physical health, they are here to help. SHC offers primary care, gynecologic care, LGBTQ+ care, sports medicine, and travel medicine.
To contact SHC, Call 215-746-WELL (9355) for information, support, to schedule an appointment, and to speak with an on-call provider. This service is available 24/7/365.
Trained professional counselors also hold drop-ins at various locations on campus on weekdays during the semester for free, confidential conversations through the Let's Talk program.
There is also a Wellness at Wharton program available to students in the Wharton School. The Wharton branch of SHC provides brief intervention, consultation, and referrals in a convenient, comfortable, familiar space for undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral business students.
Penn Wellness also offers a variety of other programs for students, including SUPER (Substance Use, Prevention, Education, and Recovery). Key efforts spearheaded by this office focus on education, prevention, and brief interventions for both individual Penn students and student groups.
The iCare training is an interactive gatekeeper training for students, faculty, and staff that builds a caring community with the skills and resources to intervene with student stress, distress, and crisis.
Penn Wellness also offers information about how to best take care of yourself and others through stress, distress, and crisis. There are a variety of mindfulness and self-care tools available to Penn students. There are many workshops available to Penn students about sleep health, sexual health, stress management, and more.
Financial Aid
For information on Financial aid visit: https://srfs.upenn.edu/sfs
For Financial Aid counseling, see here: https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/counseling
The First-Generation, Low-Income (FGLI) Program supports students’ academic, personal, and social transition needs while facilitating community-building and a sense of belonging. They offer a number of resources, including Emergency Funding and Grant Opportunities, Career and Internship Advice, and Academic Assistance.
For more resources for FGLI students look here: https://gic.universitylife.upenn.edu/fgli/
Emergency and Opportunity Funding
Unexpected financial circumstances can cause undergraduate, graduate, and professional students stress and impact their ability to achieve and thrive. Emergency and Opportunity Funding is potentially available to a diverse population of students, including but not limited to those who are the first in their family to attend college, those who are highly aided, or those who receive some financial aid. Emergency or Opportunity Grants can range from $100 to $1,000 and can be used for demonstrated needs such as: academic technology/course materials; winter or professional clothing; medical expenses; academic advancement (such as graduate school exam fees); or personal/family emergencies.
Penn College Achievement Program (PENNCAP)
PENNCAP works closely with a diverse group of students, many from low-income and/or first-generation backgrounds, to support their success at Penn. Among the many services offered are laptop and textbook loans, summer tuition grants, tutoring and advising.
The Penn First Plus program has been developed to provide unique, multifaceted support to first generation and low income students. More information can be found here: https://pennfirstplus.upenn.edu/campus-community/
Housing
If you have questions about on campus housing, you can contact Residential Services at: living@pobox.upenn.edu and see: https://www.upenn.edu/services/residential
If you have questions about off-campus housing, you can contact Penn Off-Campus Services at: ocliving@upenn.edu and see: https://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusservices/
Entrepreneurship & Social Entrepreneurship
The Venture Lab is a resource for any Penn student who is interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. They have a page with a variety of resources particularly for current students.
The Detkin Intellectual Property & Technology Legal Clinic (DIPTC) at Penn Law is a clinic that allows law students to directly serve clients under the close supervision of licensed attorneys. The DIPTC provides pro bono (free) transactional patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and privacy counsel to individuals (potentially including students), and non-profit and for-profit ventures in science, technology, business, and the arts.
Penn Projects for Progress, a fund to design and implement pilot projects based on innovative research that will advance our aim of a more inclusive university and community.
The President’s Innovation Prize awards a graduating Penn senior, or a team of graduating seniors, $100,000 to envision and implement an innovative, commercial venture that makes a positive difference in the world. LSM alum Yiwen Li was a winner of the 2021 prize with his company Mobility.
The President’s Engagement Prizes are competitively awarded annually to academically excellent and civically engaged Penn seniors to design and undertake fully-funded local, national, or global engagement projects during the first year after they graduate from Penn.
The Y-Prize challenges students to discover the hidden potential in Penn research. Students learn what it takes to take technology out of the lab and into the marketplace, to transform invention into true innovation. Several LSM students have been on finalist and even winning teams (including in 2024).
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
ISSS serves as the main hub for International Student support at Penn and includes tips on immigration, preparing for life in the US, and links to important information and documents.
Career Services is the central career resource center for all Penn undergraduates.
For information on Pre-Health advising visit: https://careerservices.upenn.edu/channels/apply-to-health-professions-s…
Career Services also has a partnership with The Wardrobe, a local business that helps students in need of professional clothing. Students are invited to contact The Wardrobe for a free in-person or virtual meeting with a consultant.